WSSU Awarded $100,000 for Nursing Scholarships

The School of Health Sciences at Winston-Salem State will receive $100,000 for scholarships from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program (NCIN). Grants provided through this competitive program will be given to students traditionally underrepresented in the field of nursing and strives to prepare culturally competent leaders in WSSU’s accelerated bachelor’s degree in nursing program. NCIN was launched in 2008 to address the national nursing shortage and fuel the pipeline of diverse nurse faculty.

Dr. Peggy Valentine

The grant will provide 10 scholarships in the amount of $10,000 each for students entering accelerated nursing programs during the 2010-2011 academic year. To date, the NCIN program has supported 1,917 students at 101 schools of nursing, and continues to develop culturally competent health professionals and future leaders of the profession.

“These scholarships will be extremely beneficial in supporting our recruitment and retention efforts for students enrolled in our accelerated program to earn their bachelor degrees in nursing,” said Dr. Peggy Valentine, dean of the School of Health Sciences.

“While there is a national shortage of professional nurses, we know that shortage is much greater in the underrepresented groups, such as males and most ethnic classifications,” Valentine added. “Nurses from these underrepresented groups can have a major impact on health care outcomes because they are more likely to understand the cultural values of their patients.  While this cultural competency is certainly beneficial for the patients, it can also improve the use of health care systems which would positively impact an entire community.”

WSSU offers an accelerated bachelor’s degree in nursing in collaboration with Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Students must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in any discipline to be eligible for the accelerated option. Students complete the accelerated option in 13 months and are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam.

The NCIN was created through RWJF and AACN to enable schools of nursing to expand student capacity in accelerated baccalaureate and master’s programs, and build a more diverse workforce ready to serve the needs of a changing patient population. Schools receiving grants through NCIN provide scholarships directly to students from groups underrepresented in nursing or from disadvantaged backgrounds. In its second year, 58 percent of scholarships went to students from diverse racial and ethnic groups and 37 percent went to male nursing students.  Men currently account for only 6.6 percent of the national nursing population.

“Through the NCIN program, we are challenging the nation’s nursing schools to be innovative and resourceful in how they grow their nursing programs, diversify student populations and contribute to the nursing leadership of tomorrow, said Denise A. Davis, Dr.P.H, RWJF program officer for NCIN.  “We are very pleased to support this unique approach, particularly at a time when growing numbers of Americans are gaining insurance and entering our health care system.”

In the 2010 – 2011 academic year, 397 students in accelerated baccalaureate programs and 114 students in accelerated master’s programs will receive scholarship funding.  The only universities in North Carolina receiving funds for the upcoming academic year are WSSU and Duke University.

By bringing more nurses into the profession at the baccalaureate and master’s degree levels, the NCIN program also helps to address the nation’s nurse faculty shortage. Data from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration show that nurses entering the profession via baccalaureate programs are four times more likely than other nurses to pursue a graduate degree in nursing. This trend is reflected in the NCIN scholars, as 95% of the students receiving funding in the first two years of the program indicate a desire to advance their education to the master’s and doctoral levels.

Finally, the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program is clearly having a positive effect on the nation’s nursing schools. Many programs that received awards have used the NCIN funding to help leverage additional resources to add new faculty, secure matching funding from state programs, develop mentoring and leadership development programs, strengthen outreach efforts, and establish new partnerships with community and practice leaders. These efforts will enable schools to sustain their program expansion while positioning them for growth.